Recording and reminding device in strip form



May 6, 1958 1.. o. PARKER 2,833,064

RECORDING AND REMINDING' DEVICE IN STRIP FORM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 17, 1953 INVENTOR. LEON o. PARKER BYQMW ATTORNEY RECORDING AND REMINDING DEVICE IN STRIP FORM Filed Nov. 17, 1953 L. O. PARKER May 6, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 minim olo o ATTORNEY United States Patent RECORDING AND REMINDiNG DEVICE IN STRIPFGRM Leon 0. Parker, San Francisco, Calif.

Application November 17, 1953, Serial No. 392,626 21) Claims. (or. 40-7 This invention relates to an improved reminder and record-making device. This application is a continuationin-part of application Serial No. 191,562, filed October 23, 1950. e

The invention is especially useful in keeping track of regular duties, tasks, or chores. It solves problems such as how to know whether each of several doses of medicine has been taken each day, a thing which many people have found difficult to remember because of the recurrenceof a large number of identical operations. It is usually inconvenient to keep a written record, and most people will not keep one. Even if a pencil and chart are kept with the medicine, most people fail to keep up the chart because they dont want to take the time, and if either the pencil or the chart gets misplaced, they are even less likely to keep it up.

The invention also solves the problem of how tokeep track of the feeding schedule of pets. When there are several persons in a household, sometimes each of them feeds the pet, so that it suffers from over-feeding. At other times each of them thinks that some one has already fed the pet, in which event the pet goes hungry.

The present invention solves these problems by providing a reminder system and a record that is made without writing but simply by tearing off one or more tabs to indicate the performance of some operation. No additional equipment besides the recording device is required, and the device may be put with the container for the pet food or the medicine, or it may be secured Basically the invention includes a plurality of tabbed.

strips of paper, or a plurality of rows of tabbed strips, secured together preferably by an envelope or cape, so

that the corresponding tabs of all the rows are aligned and overlie each other. The record is made by tearing off a tab so as to leave a stub, and the stub serves as the record that the thing has been done. The size or shape of the stub may be varied, to indicate, for example, whether the operation was actually done or whether it was omitted, or which one of two different choices was taken, and the stub itself may be removable.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in accordance with 35 U. S. C. 112. However, it is to be understood that the details are not intended to limit the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a medicine container, of the box type, with a record-making reminder embodying the principles of the invention, the device being secured around the container cover.

assaaae Fig. 2 is a view in section taken along the line 2--2 in Fig. 1. The thicknesses have necessarily had to be exaggerated for purposes of illustration.

Fig. 3 is a view in section taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. l. The thicknesses have again had to be exaggerated.

Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation of one tabbed strip used in the reminder of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a view in rear elevation of a portion of the tabbed strip shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view in section taken along the line 6--6 in Fig. 4. Thicknesses have again had to be exaggerated.

Fig. 7 is a view in rear elevation similar to Fig 5, showing an assembly of a plurality of strips having tabs of different heights Fig. 8 is a view in section taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7, with the thicknesses again exaggerated.

Fig. 9 is a view in front elevation, showing the outside faces of the envelope or cape which fully or partially enclose the strips of Fig. 7. f

Fig. 10 is a view in section taken along the line 10--10 in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a view in elevation of a modified form of tab adapted for directional tearing, so that either a short stub or a long stub will be left, according to the direction in which the tab is pulled in making the tear.

Fig. 12 is a View in elevation showing a step in the assembly of the strips in a cape, with the strips inside and keyed to the cape, but with the cape not yet folded up over the front strip.

Fig. 13 is a view in elevation showing the separation of one portion of the strips and cape, as an assembly,

from another portion.

Fig. 14 is a view in elevation showing how the strips for one weeks record may be torn out from the remainder of the device.

One form of recording reminder 10 is shown assembled in Figs. 1 to 3, secured to a box 11 around the side of the box cover 12. The reminder 10 comprises a plurality of tabbed strips 13, 14, 15 of paper or other easily torn material assembled in a. cape or envelope 16. The number of strips depends on the number of operations to be performed each day, and thenumber of tabs formed in each strip depends on the number of days for which the reminder 10 is to be used.' For purposes of illustration, let us assume that we are going to keep track of three, operations each day. For example, suppose that medicine-is to be taken three times a day or that a dog is to be fed three times a day. Let us also assume that the record is to be kept for four weeks. Then there will be three tabbed strips 13, 14, and 15, and each row will have twenty-eight tabs 17, 18, and19, respectively.

The three strips 13, 14 and 15 and the cape, 16 are secured together along their bottom portions, preferably by some adhesive material 25 so that a unitary base 26is formed. The base 26 may be adhesively secured to the box cover 12 so that it will remain fixed to the cover 12 when the tabs 17, 18, and 19 have been torn off.

A calendar or key of dates of the month may be printed on the stub portion 27 on the front side of the cape 16, as indicated by the numbers 3 through 31 shown in Fig. 1. Also the initials of the days of the week may be printed on the tabs 17, 18, 19.

To make it easier to identify the different rows of tabs, the strips 13, 14 and 15 may bemade from diiferent colors of paper. For example, the front strip 13 may be blue, the second strip 14 may be orange, and the third strip 15 may be green. Instead of this or in addition wit, the number 1 may be printed on each tab 17 of the front strip 13, the number 2 on each tab 18 of the strip 14, and the number3 on each tab 19 of the strip 15. Preferably the different rows of tabs extend to ditfercnt heights. For example, as in Figs. 1 to 3, the front strip 13 may have the longest tabs 17; .the back strip 15 may have the shortest tabs 19, and the"'mid dle.

strip 14 may have medium sized-tabs 185 The reminder 10- is especially Well adapted to;assc mbly on the spot, bya pharmacist, for example." The phan,

macist may have stock coiledrollsor tapes of tabbed strips of different colors and heights and similar rolls or tapes of capes 16. These may have gurnmed bases (the gum may be the adhesive 25 )-so that they-maybe 8.886111 bled simply after moistening.

For example, Figs. 4 and show one way in which the strip 13 may be made. The strip 13 has its tabs 17' indexed by. letters indicating the day of the week and separated by the perforations 30 from a stub 31, containing gum 32 on its front side; The stub 31 may beprovided with ungummed handles 33 at intervals of one week (in this case on Sundays), to facilitate separating the strips 13 by weeks. Perforations 33a extend vertically to aid in this separation. In this instance the perforations lie between the Saturday and Sunday tabs;

The stub portion 31 is separated'by' an additional row of perforations 34 from abase portion 35"which has gum 36 and 37 on both faces. Fingers 38 depend from the loweredgel39fof the base 35, with index fingers 40at one-week'intervals (e. g., on Sundays,as shown).

Boththetstub 31 andbase 35 arc'provided with round holes 41, 42 at substantially. daily intervals. T he holes make it" possible to moisten both faces of the strip 13 (all: the. gum 32,.36and 37). at once while running it over a moisteningsdrnm or. wheel or other type of moistener.

The several strips (e. g., 13, 14, and 15) may be preassembled. together before assembly with the cape, the index tabs 40 indicating proper alignment, resulting-in the assembly shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

The .outsidezface 45' ofthe. cape 16 is shown in Fig. 9. Thecape has. vertical rows: of perforations 46 dividing it into daily strips, the same width as the tabs 17. A'

protectingportion '47 is. adapted to. cover the tabs 17 until the tabs areready for use, keeping them clean and unbent. The protecting portion 47 is separated from the index stub portion. by allineof perforations 49. The indicia.

may extend for 31- days,,for. use in any month, unwanted days beingtornofi and additional capes placed end to end wheretnecessary. j

Index and-alignment openings. 50,..preferably square holes, are provided in a base. portion 51, separated from the. index stub 48 by a line. ofperforations 52. The cape 16 is folded along the; line 53,;passing through the center of the: openings 50, dividing the front: base 54 from. the rear base 55. Arear stjub:p,ortion 56 isjoined to the rear base 55 by a line or perforations 57.;

A coating of glue or gum58 is applied to the rear base 55 only, on the outer surface. No gum need be applied to the inner surface of the cape 16, for the gum on the strips 13,.14, 15 is sufiicient. Holesii) and 61 aid in moistening all the gum in the strips and cape at; once, because they align with the holes 41,42.

The strips 13, 14, 15, aligned together, are. alignedwith the cape 16by inserting one of the long depending (Sunday) fingers 40 in an opening 50 corresponding to the proper day of the mouth, T he cape is then foldedat 53 and the rearside moistened: Water passing through. the holes 60, 61, 41 and 42- moistensall theglue, With a little pressure, the rear base55 may be secured to the box top 12 and the strips to each other; and; to the cape.

The cover portion 47 of the;cape ltijmay betorn off as a whole,. before use, toexpose the tabs, or it may be: torn, 0115 in sections, keeping the remainder of the. tajbsv covered and protected. Suppose that the reminder is to be used to record the taking of medicine: When the patient takes his first. dose on a particular day, he tears off the tab 17 that isimmediatelyabove that day, asindi.

" dose has. been taken.

ced on the cape stub 48.

The fact that the tab 17 has been'torn oii will then indicate to him and to his doctor that the first dose has been taken, and he will not have to speculate whether he has yet taken it. Later, when he looks at the reminder 10 he will see that he has taken the first dose but has not yet taken the second; so when it is time, he takes the second dose and tears oif the next tab 18 for that day, thereby making the record that the second Similarly, when he takes the third dose, the third tab 19 for that day will be torn oil, leaving only stubs and bases, which are united, the fact that no tabs remain indicating that all the doses for that particular day have been taken. If he skips a dose, he should not tear off the third tab 19, and the fact that it remains will then indicate that one dose'was not taken. If he does not take any doses, he will not tear off any of the tabs,

7 they are pulled when making the tear will have significance. The tabs 70 in Fig. 11 each have two rows of perforations 71 and 72. The lower row 71 has a notch 73 at its left hand side, and the upper row 72 has a notch 74 at its right hand side. Therefore, when the tab 70 is pulled tothe right, it will tend to tear along the lower line 71 of the perforations, leaving only the base stub 75; whereas if it is pulled to the left it will tear along the upper line of the perforations 72, leaving the additional stub portion "76 There may beprinting on the stub 76 in between the two lines of perforations to indicate the meaning of the direction. For example, tearing so as to leave. the stub 76 may mean that the dose was omitted for one reason or another; while tearing so as to remove the stub 76 may indicate that the dose was actually taken, because only the smaller stub 75 is left.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many changes in construction and widely ditfering embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

' I claim: a

1. A reminding and recording device, including in combination: a plurality of superimposed, fiat paper strips having portions secured together in overlying relation, each said paper strip having a series of adjacent separable spaced information-bearing tabs projecting beyond and separable from the portion where-said paper strips are secured together, the corresponding tabs ofditferent strips being aligned so that the upper ones directly overlie the lower ones, the tabs on difierentstrips being of different lengths so thatsome of them. project further from said secured-together portions than do others, thepresence or absence of each tab thereby being able to serve a reminding or recording function and being readily noticeable.

'2. The device of claim 1 in which each said tab is joined. to its said secured-together portion by two perforated lines, each line havinga notch at one end, the notches being at opposite sides of each said tab so that when pulledfrom onedirection the tab will separate along the line having the notch on the side from which said tab is pulled, so that a different size stub will be left when the tab is pulled oh depending on the direction of pull when tearing ott said tab, the size of said stub, that remains thereby conveying information able to serve a reminding and-recordingfunction.

3. A reminding and recording device, including in combination: a plurality of superimposed, flat paper strips having portions secured together in overlying relation, each said paper strip having a series of adjacent separable spaced information-indieating tabs projecting up beyond and separable from a-stub portion where said paper strips are secured together, the corresponding tabs of different strips being aligned so that the upper ones directly overlie the lower ones, said tabs of each strip bearing indicia serving to differentiate them from the tabs of other strips, so that the presence or absence of each tab serves to give information able to serve a reminding or recording function, each strip also having a series of index tabs de pending below said stub portion; and a paper cape folded around the bottom of said stub and extending up on both the front and rear of'the strips and secured thereto, said cape having perforations on its fold line through which said index tabs project so that the cape and strips may be aligned thereby.

4. The device of claim 3 in which said tabs bear calendar indicia and in which the front face of said cape bears additional calendar indicia, aligned with said tabs so that the two indicia together indicate the day of the week and the day of the month.

5. The device of claim 3 in which each of said strips has two lines of perforations, one separating the tabs from said stub portion and another line parallel thereto separating said stubs into an upper part and a lower part.

6. The device of claim 5 in which said cape has perforations on both its front face and its rear face corresponding to the two lines of perforations of said strip, so that when said strips and cape are secured together, said perforations are aligned for tearing off together.

7. The device of claim 6 in which said tabs bear calendar indicia on the upper part of its stub portion and in which the stub portion of said cape bears additional calendar data aligned with said tabs.

8. The device of claim 7 in which said cape is provided with adhesive on the lower part of its stub portion, for adherence to a container.

9. The device of claim 5 in which the forward face of both said stub parts of said strip have an adhesive coating and in which the lower stub part only of the rear face of said strip has said adhesive coating.

10. The device of claim 9 in which said cape and said strip are provided with aligned perforations, aiding the moistening of the adhesive after the strips and cape have been aligned and held together so that they can permanently be secured together in that position.

11. The device of claim 3 in which said cape has a portion on its front face covering said tabs, said portion having lines of perforations corresponding to the lines of separation between tabs and a line of perforations mating with the line of separation between said tabs and said stub portion.

12. The device of claim 3 in which said strips are provided with a handle at regular intervals so that said strip may conveniently be separated into shorter strips at said intervals, vertical perforations being provided therewith to aid the separation.

13. A reminding and recording device, including in combination: a plurality of flat paper strips each having a base portion, the base portions being glued together, each strip having a plurality of tabs extending from, projecting beyond, and separable from said base portion, said tabs also being separable from each other; and indicia on said tabs and on some of said base portions whereby each torn-off tab indicates the occurrence of one type of event, and each tab in place indicates the. occurrence of a different type of event, the indicia diiferentiating the tabs of one strip from those of a different strip.

14. A reminding and recording device comprising: a plurality of superimposed paper strips each of a different color and each having a base portion, the base portions of said strips being secured together, each strip also having a plurality of tabs projecting beyond said base portion, said tabs lying side by side adjacent one another, separable from each other and separable from said base portion, the corresponding tab portions of one of the strips being aligned vertically one above the other, and the tab portions of one strip-being of'a different height from the tab portions of all other strips, and indicia on said tabs and;

, secured beneath said tabs so as to relate the removal of said tabs to a predetermined reference indication.

16. A reminding and record-making tab indicator com prising a linear series of separable tabs joined to a base by two perforated lines, one line having an enlarged notch at one end on one side of each of its tabs and the other line having an enlarged notch at one end of the other side of each of its tabs, so that when one of said tabs is pulled in one direction, it will tend to tear along one line and when pulled in the other direction will tend to tear along the other line, depending on which line has the notch on the side from which it is first pulled, so that a diflerent size stub will remain when the tab has been separated, depending on the direction of pull when tearing off said tab, the size of stub remaining thereby indicating the direction of pull and serving as a record thereof, while the presence or absence of each tab is able to serve a recording and reminding function.

17. A reminding and recording device including in combination: a plurality of paper members securable together in overlying position, some of said members having a plurality of equally spaced, detachable tabs projecting beyond the portion where said members are securable together, the tabs of one said member being the same width as the tabs of each other member having tabs, so that the tabs may be vertically aligned, said tab members and any members which are not tabbed being capable of being shifted back and forth on each other so as to align them suitably; indicia on said members, some of said indicia representing the calendar days of the month, other said indicia representing the days of the week so that when said members are shiftedback and forth, a reminding calendar can be arranged, after which said members may be secured together in fixed position.

18. A reminding and recording device comprising: an elongated strip having a base portion and a multiplicity of separate tabs detachable from said base, two parallel perforated lines being provided for said detachment, each of said lineshaving a notch on one side of said tab, said notches being on opposite sides of each said tab so that when said tab is torn from a particular direction, the tear will detach said tab along the line whose notch is at the side from which said tab is tom, the presence or absence of each tab and the line of detachment of each detached tab serving to indicate information and therefore being able to serve as a reminder and recorder.

19. A reminding and recording device comprising: a paper strip having a base portion from which a plurality of indexed tabs project, said tabs lying side by side adjacent one another, separable from each other and separable from said base portion their presence or absence at a later time serving as a record and a reminder of acts to be done, and a paper cape enfolding said strip and secured thereto and having an indexed portion lying below said tabs and aligned with each said tab.

20..A reminding and recording device including in combination: a plurality of paper members securable together in overlying position, one of said members being a cape, the other of said members having a plurality of equally spaced, detachable tabs projecting beyond the portion where said members are securable together, the tabs of one said member being the same width as the tabs of each other member having tabs, so that the tabs may be vertically aligned, said tab members and said cape being capable of being shifted back and forth memes:

on each other sofas towa'li'gntthem suitably indieia on means by which said members may besecured together in fixed position.

Referencescited in the file of this patent v l UNITED STATES PATENTS Moshe'r Nov. 8, 1892 Parrot -Nbv. 27, 1894 Moore -Feb. 4', 1896 Belden June 30, 1942 Callahan Apr; 17, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Sept. 8, 1898' Great Britain Nov. 3, 1944- 

